The main crew on Desperate Housewives fluctuated throughout the seasons; before the series began, the four main housewives and Mary Alice Young were the main group. Following her death at the beginning of the show, the girls eventually let Edie into the group, despite having a tumultuous relationship with her.
Newcomers Katherine Mayfair and Renee Perry later joined the group, as well. The characters often had their own storylines, with drama that revolved around their children, spouses, or careers. When a duo was formed, they were either at war with one another, or offering support in a trying time.
Lynette And Susan
When Lynette is struggling with her pregnancy, Susan comforts her. Lynette is there for Susan when Julie is strangled and gives Julie an adult to talk to aside from her mother. Lynette later hires Susan to be her nanny when Susan is having money troubles.
When Renee drunkenly tells Susan about being in love with Tom, Susan threatens Tom and Renee to keep them from doing anything that would hurt Lynette. Though the show ended with the housewives of Wisteria Lane moving to different places across the country, it's likely Lynette and Susan stayed in touch the most, due to their sharing a grandchild.
Susan And Gaby
When Susan finds out about Gaby's affair with an underage boy, she isn't afraid to tell her friend that what she's doing is wrong. Gaby then comes clean to John's parents, to protect Susan from being accused of being the one sleeping with him.
When Mike is arrested and needs money for lawyers, Gaby dates Zach so he'll pay for them, as a favor to Susan. Since their kids, MJ and Juanita, are the same age, they often get competitive. Mike borrows money from Carlos to pay off his debts, and both men hide this from their wives. When Susan and Gaby find out, they team up to embarrass the men and force them to admit the truth.
Gaby And Edie
Gaby and Edie hang out together outside of the group poker games, and seem to have the most in common in terms of attitude and taste. Their friendship is ruined when Edie starts seeing Gaby's ex-husband Carlos.
To make matters worse, Gaby has an affair with Carlos while he's with Edie. Edie gets revenge by trying to sabotage Carlos and Gaby in any way possible; she rats them out to Gaby's new husband Victor, and steals the paperwork for Carlos' offshore account so he and Gaby can't run away together. Gaby and Edie hide together during a tornado and make up after talking everything out.
Bree And Katherine
These two didn't get along at all when Katherine first moved back to the Lane. After a lot of passive aggressive competition, the two realize they have a lot in common and become friends. They start a catering company together and the business really takes off.
When Orson spends time in prison, Bree relapses and Katherine takes care of her and helps her get back on track. When Katherine suffers a mental breakdown, Bree urges her to get help. They stop being friends for a bit, but make up when Katherine gets well again.
Lynette And Bree
Lynette and Bree often clash over their differences. The one thing they have in common is a desire to control everything. Nevertheless, the two housewives are close friends. Lynette helps Bree in a major way when she forces her to confront her issue with alcohol.
She also defends Bree against her son Andrew's false allegations in court. When the Scavos' restaurant is failing, Bree steps in to help them financially.
Gaby And Bree
When Gaby and Carlos are having financial trouble due to Carlos' legal fees, Bree steps in and gives Gaby a loan to help get them through. When Gaby is struggling with an unwanted pregnancy, Bree is there to offer her support, and goes to the hospital with her when she miscarries.
Bree confesses to Gaby she helped cover up her son's hit-and-run that killed Gaby's mother-in-law, and Gaby refuses to turn on Bree when Carlos finds out. She even goes as far as to move in with Bree rather than give up their friendship, which leads to some pretty funny interactions between Gaby's children and the uptight Bree.
Susan And Katherine
Susan and Katherine are the oldest friends on the Lane. Things are fine between them until Katherine starts dating Mike. Though Susan eventually makes her peace with the relationship, it complicates their friendship significantly.
Before marrying Katherine, Mike realizes he still loves Susan and they get remarried. This drives Katherine to extremes; she steals Susan's wedding dress, crashes their wedding, and stalks Susan and Mike. She eventually has to be hospitalized when she hurts herself trying to get Mike back. Susan comes to visit her in the hospital and forgives her for everything.
Gaby And Lynette
These two get into little spats because of their differing personalities, but are shown to care about each other very much. When Lynette gets cancer, Gaby struggles the most with the idea of losing her. Gaby helps Lynette get a job with her husband Carlos, and is shown to be very protective of her friend when she sees Tom flirting with another woman.
The two get into a nasty feud when Lynette lies to Carlos about her pregnancy, and Carlos treats her terribly at work. They make up when Lynette saves Gaby's youngest daughter's life, and their friendship is stronger than ever.
Lynette And Renee
Lynette and Renee have been friends since college. Renee comes to stay with Lynette during her divorce, and moves to the Lane permanently once it's finalized. The two start an interior design business together, but Renee, unbeknownst to Lynette, has a thing for Lynette's husband Tom. Renee confesses to Lynette that she slept with Tom when he and Lynette had briefly broken up years ago, and Lynette is able to forgive her friend. When Tom's new job puts pressure on their marriage, leading to a seperation, Renee is a constant source of support.
Susan And Edie
When Edie first moved to Wisteria Lane in Desperate Housewives, she and Susan were fast friends. Edie told Susan about seeing Karl on a date with his secretary, which angered Susan, and created a rift in their friendship.
They later compete over Mike for three seasons; Susan is the only one who dates him, until he wakes up from a coma in season three and can't remember anything and Edie fills in the blanks with an altered version of events before he regains his memories.
Edie and Susan have burned each other's houses down, although when Susan did it, it was an accident. The two do a fair amount of sleuthing together, and make a pretty entertaining team. Edie dates Susan's ex-husband, Karl, during which Susan remarries Karl for his health insurance. In season five, they finally talk about their issues and squash their beef, not long before Edie's tragic death.